The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens has filed criminal charges against 16 individuals – including 13 public officials – in connection with contracts for remote control and signalling systems across Greece’s railway network. The projects, co-funded by the European Union, include work on the Tempe section and are suspected to involve the misappropriation of €2.7 million in EU funds. Charges include complicity and incitement in the misuse of EU financial resources.

The investigation by EPPO relates to contracts awarded for the restoration of remote control and signalling infrastructure on the Greek railway system. Of those charged, nine were already under prosecution for related offences in the same case, while the latest action concerns seven additional suspects. The focus is on agreements signed between ERGOSE – a subsidiary of the national rail company OSE responsible for managing infrastructure works – and a consortium of two construction firms.

One company was tasked with the northern part of the project, while the other covered a larger portion of the Athens–Thessaloniki line, including the section near Tempe, the site of the deadly rail disaster on 28 February 2023.

According to EPPO, the new charges follow a thorough investigation into the potential criminal liability of non-political actors – specifically public officials from ERGOSE and members of the contractor consortium – for their alleged role in defrauding both the EU and the Greek state.

The case concerns events between 2019 and 2020, when members of the consortium reportedly sought compensation, citing equipment damage and operational delays. However, the delays were allegedly due to their own failings. Following a favourable technical recommendation from public officials overseeing the contracts, then-Minister of Infrastructure and Transport approved a payment of €2.7 million.
Following a preliminary investigation, formal charges have now been filed for complicity and moral instigation in the repeated misappropriation of funds to the detriment of EU and Greek financial interests. Those charged face potential prison sentences of up to ten years, as well as fines.

The case has now been referred to a special investigating judge assigned to handle EPPO matters in Greece for further legal proceedings.

All individuals involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EPPO is the independent prosecution authority of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests.

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